X heucherella plant named &#39;hertn041&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of × Heucherella  plant substantially as shown and described, characterized by its distinctive soft yellow to lime green foliage with speckles of maroon along the veins and distinctive lobing.

Botanical Denomination: ×Heucherella sp.

Variety Designation: ‘HERTN041’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct intergeneric hybrid between Heuchera and Tiarella, and botanically called ×Heucherella. This new variety is given the cultivar name ‘HERTN041’. Both genera, Heuchera and Tiarella, are of the family Saxifragaceae.

The claimed plant resulted from crossing Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,348), as the seed parent, with massed pollen from a group of experimental, proprietary Tiarella hybrids. As such, the exact pollen parent is unknown.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This new Heucherella is unique in its soft yellow foliage with specked, maroon markings along the main veins and is also characterized by:

1. Small, 5-lobed leaves.

2. Unusual white flowers on numerous, short stalks.

The new variety has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a two-year old plant growing in the ground in the summer in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the leaves of the same plant in the fall.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new ×Heucherella hybrid based on observations of a three-year-old specimen grown in the ground in an open air shade house with 50% shade cover and added irrigation in the summer months in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart.

-   Botanical denomination: ×Heucherella sp. -   Variety designation: ‘HERTN041’. -   Plant:     -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.         -   Form.—Basal rosette.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4.         -   Size.—20 cm tall from the soil to the top of the foliage and             50 cm wide.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Roots.—Fibrous, freely branching, fine, and white in color.             Roots develop easily from cuttings. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Rosette.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Lobing/division.—3 to 5 main deeply cut lobes with each of             these coarsely lobed, terminal lobe is the longest, two main             laterals are often at a right angle to the main lobe.         -   Venation.—Palmate.         -   Margins.—Coarsely crenate.         -   Apex.—Mucronulate.         -   Base.—Cordate, slightly overlapping.         -   Blade size.—Ranges from 5 to 8 cm long and 5 to 6.7 cm wide.         -   Surface texture.—Glandular hairs mostly on back side.         -   Petiole size.—Ranges from 7 to 13 cm long and 2 mm wide.         -   Petiole texture.—Glandular hairs.         -   Petiole color.—Changes from Greyed Red 178A at the base to             Yellow Green 145C near leaf blade.         -   Leaf color.—Leaves open in spring a yellow green with a             speckled maroon pattern along veins and become greener with             maturity.         -   Spring leaves topside.—Yellow Green 145A with speckles of             Greyed Purple 187B.         -   Mature leaves topside.—Yellow Green 144A with minor             speckling.         -   Bottom side.—Closest to Yellow Green 145A maturing to Yellow             Green 146C. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Thyrse.         -   Number of Flowers.—Ranges from 30 to 70 per thyrse.         -   Size of inflorescence.—13 cm long and 3 cm wide.         -   Peduncle.—Grows to 31 cm tall and 2 mm wide, with glandular             hairs, and with 0 to 10 leaves (petiolate at the bottom and             sessile near the top, 5.5 to 1 cm long and 3 to 0.5 cm wide,             deeply 5 parted to incised) and 0 to 2 branches.         -   Color.—Greyed Orange 176A maturing to Yellow Green 152A             except near base where it is Greyed Orange 165A.         -   Pedicel.—Grows to 6 mm long, with glandular hairs, Greyed             Orange 174A.         -   Bloom period.—Early April to late May. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—2 mm deep and wide.         -   Description.—Ovoid, side facing, glandular.         -   Color.—Greyed Yellow 160A. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Perfect, sepals petaloid.         -   Shape.—Rotate.         -   Size.—4 mm wide and 3 mm deep.         -   Petal description.—5 in number, oblanceolate in shape, 1.5             mm long and 0.5 mm wide, Yellow White 158A.         -   Calyx description.—Rotate, 5 lobed, 5 mm wide and 3 mm deep,             glandular on the outside and glabrous on the inside, Yellow             White 158A.         -   Stamen description.—Conspicuously exerted, 10, sterile,             thickened, Green Yellow ID, no anthers.         -   Pistil description.—Green Yellow ID overall, 2.5 mm long.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Lastingness.—A thyrse blooms for about 2 weeks on the plant. -   Fruit, seed: None. The plant does not form fruit or seed.     -   -   Fertility.—Male and Female sterile. -   Disease and pest tolerance: All Heucherella are susceptible to root     weevils. No problems have been identified for this new cultivar.

COMPARISONS TO SIMILAR ×HEUCHERELLA

Compared to Heucherella ‘Sunspot’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/452,951), this new cultivar has leaves that are less gold colored and marked red at the veins and the leaf lobes are cut and jagged rather than round. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of ×Heucherella plant as herein illustrated and described. 